Author Topic: Mook's full comments ripping the Celtics attitude  (Read 10595 times)

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Re: Mook's full comments ripping the Celtics attitude
« Reply #45 on: February 10, 2019, 11:06:01 AM »

Offline PAOBoston

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Everyone trashed Kyrie for ripping the young guys. Guess he was right. Morris literally said the same thing last night. Something has to give on this team.

This team is soft AF. They are completely opposite from what they were the past few years mentally. They are front runners and do not have the grit and balls mentality previous teams had.

My biggest fear going into this year was how they would play with expectations. So far, they have proved they still don’t know how to. A lot of that blame goes to Stevens imo. First time he has dealt with it too and he has basically failed.

They are at a critical juncture at this point. Either it will blow up and this will be pretty much the beginning of the end for this current group as we know it or they will dig deep and pull it out. My sense is they will make the playoffs and then bow out in the 2nd round. I don’t think this team has an identity and they do not know how to win.

Re: Mook's full comments ripping the Celtics attitude
« Reply #46 on: February 10, 2019, 11:06:16 AM »

Offline BlackCeltic

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I think this discussion is warranted.  The Celtics should be playing better.  They are under achieving.  Under achieving teams (players and coaches) should feel some pressure.

In terms of the cheering and having fun, I buy that only up to a point.  Hayward for example is a veteran who is trying to come back from a career threatening injury.  He is not having fun and it has nothing to do with him being a bad teammate or anything like that.  Even before the injury, he is a mellow guy.  He is not going to be waving towels around.  Supporting your teammates in whatever roll you are asked to fill is a fair expectation but that can manifest itself in many more ways than waving towels on the bench.  Morris expressed in in a very simplistic way but what he is saying is very likely true, just more nuanced than he articulated.

As far as the young guys (Tatum, Brown, Rozier) none of them seem to be playing as well as last year and it is impacting the team.  I don't know to what extent they are sulking about not being as highly featured or if they are just young players that the NBA is figuring out.  They do all seem to be less scrappy this season.  They are certainly less productive.  I don't think any of them are bad teammates though.  I think they are all good character players.

So maybe the starters should be Irving-Smart-Hayward-Morris-Horford, Bring Tatum, Brown, and Rozier off the bench.  Tell them they can start again when they figure out how to be effective in the NBA on a consistent basis.

I think this could be a good Idea. Have a veteran starting lineup and Young second Unit. Tell them to pretend it's last years playoff

Tatum would sulk.

Yea, put both of your bright young stars behind that bum Morris. With Mook starting you’d have a tough time beating the Duke Blue Devils. I’m sorry.

Re: Mook's full comments ripping the Celtics attitude
« Reply #47 on: February 10, 2019, 11:07:08 AM »

Offline Vermont Green

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I think this discussion is warranted.  The Celtics should be playing better.  They are under achieving.  Under achieving teams (players and coaches) should feel some pressure.

In terms of the cheering and having fun, I buy that only up to a point.  Hayward for example is a veteran who is trying to come back from a career threatening injury.  He is not having fun and it has nothing to do with him being a bad teammate or anything like that.  Even before the injury, he is a mellow guy.  He is not going to be waving towels around.  Supporting your teammates in whatever roll you are asked to fill is a fair expectation but that can manifest itself in many more ways than waving towels on the bench.  Morris expressed in in a very simplistic way but what he is saying is very likely true, just more nuanced than he articulated.

As far as the young guys (Tatum, Brown, Rozier) none of them seem to be playing as well as last year and it is impacting the team.  I don't know to what extent they are sulking about not being as highly featured or if they are just young players that the NBA is figuring out.  They do all seem to be less scrappy this season.  They are certainly less productive.  I don't think any of them are bad teammates though.  I think they are all good character players.

So maybe the starters should be Irving-Smart-Hayward-Morris-Horford, Bring Tatum, Brown, and Rozier off the bench.  Tell them they can start again when they figure out how to be effective in the NBA on a consistent basis.

I think this could be a good Idea. Have a veteran starting lineup and Young second Unit. Tell them to pretend it's last years playoff

Tatum would sulk.

So should that impact the decision?  I say if he is going to sulk over that, let him sulk until his is ready to be a man in the NBA.  I actually don't think he would sulk, whatever that means but I have no patience for that sort of thing if that is the issue.  If he does sulk, trade him for Davis.  Tatum has not done anything yet other than show promise.  The worst thing in the world to do would be to coddle him if he is sulking or otherwise acting like he is entitled or whatever.

Re: Mook's full comments ripping the Celtics attitude
« Reply #48 on: February 10, 2019, 11:09:56 AM »

Offline Csfan1984

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I think this is a back and forth finger pointing thing that guys are doing and it needs to stop. We know which group played poorly against the Lakers and we know which group played poorly against the Clippers. Morris needs to be quiet with the media. He is just as guilty as others playing selfish ball at times and wanting to start. Why not say this after a game he was poor in? He only talks when certain guys have a bad game

Morris is a lousy team player. Selfishness personified.

He is not a good fit on a team that already has a lot of hands of feed. Only useful to teams that are short-handed on offense once you get past their stars and can therefore live with his selfish black hole style of offense.

I am looking forward to him leaving this summer.

I had a trade Morris and Rozier thread at the deadline.  Most people were cold to the idea.  I thought Morris might come back to earth with his hot shooting, and taking shots away from Hayward and Brown.  But if all we were getting is a late first round pick it was probably best to just hold on to him until the summer to preserve our depth for now.
I'm not a Morris hater or Rozier. I'm just critical of how they can play at times. And I'm even more critical when guys demand other people sacrifice but aren't showing it on the court with their team play or sacrifice. Rozier was a great passer last year. Morris was a defense first player both of them aren't those things any more. But it's all over the place, a lot of guys have let parts of their "team game" suffer this year.
« Last Edit: February 10, 2019, 11:15:42 AM by Csfan1984 »

Re: Mook's full comments ripping the Celtics attitude
« Reply #49 on: February 10, 2019, 11:13:47 AM »

Offline jambr380

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What are you guys talking about? Tatum and Brown certainly shouldn't be coming off the bench. Put Morris back in his 7th man position and move Brown to the starting line-up. Where is all the Brown hate coming from anyway? He has been fantastic lately and doing his job in a very admirable way. Once he came to terms with his new role, he embraced it and is playing like a top 3-4 player on this team while not making a big fuss.

Morris and Rozier are likely not going to be here next year. Let them launch all the shots they want off the bench.

Re: Mook's full comments ripping the Celtics attitude
« Reply #50 on: February 10, 2019, 11:18:00 AM »

Offline Phantom255x

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There's 26 games left to go in the season. I think at this point Brad has to start Brown and bench Morris, and go from there. Kyrie/Smart/Brown/Tatum/Horford. It's a slightly smaller lineup but I still think Morris helps us better off the bench with his scoring and Brown has looked great as of late.

Bench of Rozier, Morris, Hayward, Baynes, Theis is a great bench and I think Morris being there also adds to it honestly if we're talking going against other team's bench units.

Also, CBS needs to innovate his rotations and have at least 1 or 2 starters out there even when the 2nd unit comes in, and rotate during the game. Many times we see the bench comes in and the scoring just dries while Kyrie, Tatum and others ALL sit. Balance it out. Other teams like PHI, HOU, etc. do this too.
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Re: Mook's full comments ripping the Celtics attitude
« Reply #51 on: February 10, 2019, 11:39:33 AM »

Offline keevsnick

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I kow most here wont agree with me, but this is absolutely weak by Morris. By coming out and saying this he is in fact deflecting blame from himself, everybody is gonna go "Morris is right! Look at that leadership. These guys are soft!" and Morris gets t look like the voice of reason, when in fact he is as big a problem as anybody else. He is a black hole on offense, and when he was hitting 45% of his threes that was fine. Now overall he's still shooting well, but its regressed enough where his act is getting old. And on defense, I think he may just be bad. Kyrie already tried throwing everyone under the bus, and it just made things worse. Now Morris wants to try the same thing? I'm beginning to think our veteran leadership may just have no idea what its doing.

Re: Mook's full comments ripping the Celtics attitude
« Reply #52 on: February 10, 2019, 11:40:19 AM »

Offline PhoSita

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Too many guys worried about what's good for them rather than what the team needs.

Morris is part of that problem but he's not the only one.
You’ll have to excuse my lengthiness—the reason I dread writing letters is because I am so apt to get to slinging wisdom & forget to let up. Thus much precious time is lost.
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Re: Mook's full comments ripping the Celtics attitude
« Reply #53 on: February 10, 2019, 11:44:12 AM »

Offline BlackCeltic

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I kow most here wont agree with me, but this is absolutely weak by Morris. By coming out and saying this he is in fact deflecting blame from himself, everybody is gonna go "Morris is right! Look at that leadership. These guys are soft!" and Morris gets t look like the voice of reason, when in fact he is as big a problem as anybody else. He is a black hole on offense, and when he was hitting 45% of his threes that was fine. Now overall he's still shooting well, but its regressed enough where his act is getting old. And on defense, I think he may just be bad. Kyrie already tried throwing everyone under the bus, and it just made things worse. Now Morris wants to try the same thing? I'm beginning to think our veteran leadership may just have no idea what its doing.

Spot on. And the media world is eating up. This is nothing less than an embarrassment. I almost felt like Brad left Morris in longer as a stress test. That’s wishful thinking to say the least.

Re: Mook's full comments ripping the Celtics attitude
« Reply #54 on: February 10, 2019, 12:05:38 PM »

Offline KGs Knee

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Sadly, because Stevens is such a nice guy and refuses to say the things that need to be said, we get guys like Morris saying them.

Problem is, when a teammate says this it just creates more division. That's why the coach needs to be the one saying this stuff.

Really wish we had Doc back right now, I have full confidence he'd be getting through to these guys. Stevens looks like he's in over his head, unfortunately.

How do you know CBS is not saying it? Are you in the lockerroom? There are plenty of reports of cbs holding players accountable and even yelling at them. Saying things to the media may feel good but they rarely help the issue. Just because cbs doesn’t say that stuff to the media doesn’t mean it’s not being said.

Stevens has never struck me as the type to bow before anyone. He’s the same guy all the time. He is straight forward, confident, and working the problem. He is not b—————ing to the media, even if that may feel good to do.

The fact multiple players have come out and said similar things in the media is what shows me Brad isn't saying the right things to the players.

And for what it's worth, Popovich has never had a problem calling out the team publicly when they're playing selfish, uninspired, lazy basketball. So, yeah, you're probably wrong here.

I've never said Brad is a terrible coach.   But right now we're seeing his flaws get exposed. My hope is he can overcome these flaws. The bottom line is the team isn't responding to whatever he's doing currently. It's his job to find a way.

Re: Mook's full comments ripping the Celtics attitude
« Reply #55 on: February 10, 2019, 12:15:49 PM »

Offline cman88

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not sure why people think Hayward is one of those refusing to sacrifice to win. Guy has had no problem just facilitating.

Its clearly the young guys in Rozier/Tatum/Brown who feel after leading the team to the ECF last year that they are entitled. The deep run and high praise from the media clearly has gotten in their heads and hurt their games this year. Last year Tatum/Brown played more within themselves. Now they are trying to do too much because they feel that they can. Only problem is the east is MUCH stronger this year.

There clearly is some resentment towards hayward from the young guys as well. you can see it when he is on the court and at times is open or has his guy sealed and Rozier/tatum refuse to pass him the ball and instead go ISO for a poor shot.

Morris really has no room to talk though since he was part of the problem last night not moving the ball.

Brad seems to have a hard time humbling the young guys to let them know the accolades will come with playing winning ball and not just going ISO.

Clearly danny is okay sacrificing this year if he believes he can get AD and more assets for guys like Rozier in a sign and trade (like he did flipping bradley) otherwise he wouldve moved him.

Re: Mook's full comments ripping the Celtics attitude
« Reply #56 on: February 10, 2019, 12:24:45 PM »

Offline tstorey_97

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There are 21 retired numbers hanging in the rafters of Celtic's "players."

None of these men lead their teams to NBA championships with their mouth....not one.

Lead with your play. Fight for the ball. Get back on defense. Play harder than the other team. No magic formula here. The coach plays every game in the book to "make" his players play hard...in the end that is all the coach has....tricks. Read about the greatest coach and exec in the history of the game. Auerbach tried everything and often? It worked.

The rotations don't matter. The guys on the cort have to fight.

Your team mates and coach are not the problem. All 21 guys knew that simple fact.

You lead with your play, not your mouth.

Re: Mook's full comments ripping the Celtics attitude
« Reply #57 on: February 10, 2019, 12:46:25 PM »

Offline Rosco917

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Hayward is one of the most unselfish and best passers on the team. He may not be the guy he was on the Jazz, but his play isn't detracting from this team. He sees the court very well.

The young players are getting better, but still lack court vision, passing ability and sound decision making. that comes with more experience.

Last years showing in the EC finals was more the result of a terribly weak and youthful conference. Last years team could not compete against this years 76's, Raptors, or Bucks. All 3 have improved a great deal.

Re: Mook's full comments ripping the Celtics attitude
« Reply #58 on: February 10, 2019, 12:51:48 PM »

Offline jpotter33

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Just exhibit number 12 highlighting blatant locker room dysfunction, which is clearly a failure of the coaching staff not performing one of their primary functions.

Granted, they were tasked with a very difficult task. People seem to think that these guys’ games don’t really fit together. But I think that’s hogwash; their games fit together nicely. What doesn’t fit together is their differing characters and goals, as there’s clearly a divide between the young guys’ characters and goals and the vets’ characters and goals. And having that stark of a split between “the old guard” and “the new guard” is difficult to manage.

Seems like Danny recognizes this and has decided to let this year play out understanding that he’ll likely be addressing it this summer in an AD trade.

Re: Mook's full comments ripping the Celtics attitude
« Reply #59 on: February 10, 2019, 12:52:13 PM »

Offline cman88

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brad is part of the problem because  he continues to let guys "play through it" and doesn't cut their minutes or bench them after poor play/habits. This just reinforces their bad habits.

put tatum on the bench after he takes a few contested long 2 pointers, tell rozier we are pulling you for wannamaker if you refuse to move the ball. That will get their attention alot more than just letting guys "play through their mistakes"

that has been brads biggest downfall this season. his refusal to stray from his rigid rotation has reinforced bad habits and not only that has allowed guys who are having a "hot" shooting night to cool down.